What Is Obesophobia (Fear of Gaining Weight)?

Symptoms of Obesophobia

Because it is a phobia, it follows many of the same patterns of other phobias: avoidance, obsession, anxiety response, and “unreasonable fear.”^4,5 Some common symptoms of someone with obesophobia are specific to the phobia, such as concerns with gaining weight, while many other symptoms are shared among individuals with different phobias, such as shortness of breath, trembling, nausea, and so forth.

Some common symptoms of obesophobia include:

• Constant fixation on body image
• Compulsively weighing
• Avoidance of various foods or places with caloric food
• Anxiety whenever they think about gaining weight
• Avoidance of medical appointments
• Avoidance of being weighed
• Dreams about gaining weight
• Concerns with how you look in pictures
• Concerns that others will notice or think you have gained weight
• Constantly thinking about calories and macros in food

Someone with an intense fear of weight gain may also:

• Overuse of diuretics or laxatives
• Research different diets or weight loss techniques
• Avoid “bad” foods
• Avoid restaurants with “unhealthy” menu items
• Refuse to be weighed at medical appointments
• Skip meals
• Obsess over daily caloric intake
• Have an exercise addiction
• Refuse to allow themselves to have dessert or sweets

Causes of the Fear of Gaining Weight

Some of the significant potential causes of obesophobia include social expectations, as well as the media’s pattern of setting somewhat unattainable body standards.

Furthermore, an individual’s self-esteem and self-confidence also play a significant role in fears of gaining weight due to the link between how someone views themselves and how they feel about their body.

Some potential causes of obesophobia include:

• Genetics: There is some research available that shows genetics can play a role in eating disorders. Therefore, if someone has a genetic predisposition, such as a family member who displays symptoms of obesophobia, it may lead to someone having a fear of gaining weight.⁶
• Traumatic experiences: Experiencing trauma can cause someone to have obesophobia because trauma can lead to poor self-esteem and poor self-image.
• Media influence: Not surprisingly, the media greatly influences us.  Diet culture and other media trends can lead to a fear of gaining weight.
• Observational learning experiences: We learn what we observe, and if those around us fear gaining weight, it may rub off on others around them, especially those who are impressionable, such as young people.
• Cultural expectations: In some cultures, weight gain has evil connotations and comes with stigma and shame, which can cause someone to want to avoid weight gain.

How Is Obesophobia Diagnosed?

Obesophobia is not a diagnosis itself, but it follows the same diagnostic criteria as specific phobias. Someone would likely receive an obesophobia diagnosis by a mental health provider.

Because it is a phobia, it is diagnosed similarly to other phobias, with providers taking note of following many of the same patterns of other phobias: avoidance caused unreasonable fears and other patterns of behaviors.⁵

Treatment Options for Obesophobia

Therapy is a great tool to treat phobias like obesophobia. Mental healthcare providers commonly use acceptance and commitment therapy, dialectical behavioral therapy, and exposure therapy to support this phobia.

Treatment options for specific phobias like obesophobia include:

• Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT): By helping clients learn how their thoughts and behavior affect each other, CBT can help clients develop insight into what leads to negative feelings.  CBT can be specifically used to treat obesophobia by helping increase self-awareness to express emotions regarding these negative thoughts.
• Exposure therapy: By teaching distress tolerance skills when exposed to the triggering event, exposure therapy is specifically used to treat phobias such as obesophobia.
• Dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT): DBT helps to teach clients how to better self-regulate when faced with difficult feelings or distressing situations and can be great for the distressing thoughts and emotions that come with the fears of gaining weight.
•  Online group therapy and support groups: By giving people peer support, group therapy is a great option for those who are struggling with fears of gaining weight. Peers can provide empathetic and judgment-free support and advice.
• Medication: For some, especially those who find that their fears of gaining weight are tied to other mental health symptoms, medication management can help alleviate or decrease symptoms. Ask your provider about the best options.
• Emotion-focused coping: Emotion-focused coping is a technique where clients learn skills to help manage distressing emotions. This technique can help someone who struggles with fears of gaining weight by helping to develop self-awareness around these negative feelings and working to decrease negative feelings.
• Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT): By teaching that negative or stressful experiences and emotions are inevitable and thus unavoidable, ACT helps empower people to learn how to manage negative feelings when they come up instead of working to avoid them. This can help those who experience negative thoughts associated with weight gain.
• Compassion-focused therapy:  Compassion-focused therapy is a therapeutic technique that incorporates self-compassion into treatment and teaches individuals ways to treat themselves and others with greater amounts of kindness to help improve mental health symptoms.

How to Cope With a Fear of Gaining Weight

Coping with a fear of gaining weight can be challenging, especially since there are often triggers all around us through the media and in our social environments.  However, along with the treatment options mentioned above, there are many different coping strategies people can try to help deal with obesophobia. Some good ideas are practicing self-care and taking time to appreciate your body.

Here are 12 coping skills for obesophobia:

1. Exercise regularly: Research shows a positive impact of exercise on mental health. However, it is important to avoid over-exercising, which can be a common risk for those with a fear of gaining weight.⁷ Some people choose to work with a personal trainer in order to make sure they are getting the best amount of exercise for their body’s needs.

2. Journaling: Because it gives an outlet to get negative feelings out, journaling can help someone cope with obesophobia by giving them a place to organize their feelings and thoughts.

3. Surround yourself with support: Lean on your support system and let them know what is going on so they can support you.

4. Don’t skip liquids: When people fear gaining weight, they will often avoid drinking liquids such as water and other drinks. But this can lead to dehydration and is unhealthy. Making sure you have enough hydration is essential for health.

5. Choose supportive friends: If you have friends who make negative comments about their bodies, this can be triggering for your fears.

6. Treat yourself to clothing that makes you feel good: Often, when we feel bad about our bodies, it can feel stressful to buy clothing. But treating yourself to something that feels good on you will make you feel good about your body.

7. Avoid triggers: If a specific person or place triggers your obesophobia, it is okay to either avoid that trigger or to use additional support to manage it.

8. Treat your body well: Make sure to take prescribed medications regularly, engage in good hygiene practices, get regular haircuts, and other ways of taking care of your body. These things can help you appreciate your body instead of focusing on the negative.

9. Get curious: If you find that this fear is new, allow yourself to reflect on it. Where did it come from? Are you surrounding yourself with people who make you feel bad about yourself? Did something else about your life change?

10. Manage stress: Taking time for self care and stress release will help avoid any fears of weight gain that often come with increased stress.

11. Avoid speaking negatively about your body: Many of us are conditioned to talk negatively about our bodies, which can reinforce symptoms of obesophobia. Try to watch these negative statements, learn how to reframe your negative thoughts, and avoid them if you can.

12. Practice appreciation for your body: Taking time to appreciate what your body does for you can remind you of the positive aspects of your body. For example, thank your strong legs for taking you on a walk or your lungs for letting you breathe fresh air.

When to Seek Professional Help for Obesophobia

If you find that your fear of gaining weight is negatively affecting your life, it may be time to get professional support. Try to find a therapist who specializes in body image, disordered eating, or eating disorder therapy. Seek a therapist specializing in HAES, or Health At Every Size, as they will likely be more knowledgeable and understand the impact of societal messages on body image and weight.

For some, online therapy is effective for specific phobia treatment. Equip Health provides evidence-based online treatment for eating disorders and co-occurring conditions and accepts most major insurance plans.